In That Moment
by Half Demon Alchemist
Summary: After moving to Bluebell, Lillian wants nothing more than to put on a smile and forget about her life in the city. Smiling, she tells everybody that she's fine. There's one person who isn't convinced by her practiced lies, a florist with cold green eyes. And in that moment he swears he'll find the real Lillian, the one who isn't hiding behind a fake smile, and save her from herself
1. Introductions And Lousy Tour Guides

**Hello there! This is my first story for Harvest Moon, so I hope I didn't do too badly! I've been playing this game a lot lately for some reason, so I decided I might as well be productive and write something. Read and review, and be sure to enjoy!**

**REAL SUMMARY: **After moving to Bluebell to escape her past, Lillian wants nothing more than to put on a smile and forget about her life in the city. With a smile on her face, she tells everyone that she's fine, that she's happy. There's only one person who isn't convinced by her practiced lies, a florist with cold green eyes. Cam sees the the truth, he sees past her mask and her lies. Cam doesn't want her to lie to him like she does everyone else. And in that moment, he swears he'll find the real Lillian, the one who isn't hiding behind a fake smile, and save her from herself. **(I couldn't put this in due to character limit in the summary)**

**Note: _Italics- thoughts/emphasis _**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon: Tale Of Two Towns **

_**Chapter One:**_

_** Introductions and Lousy Tour Guides**_

The sun shone brightly, and Lillian followed behind the kind old mayor, Rutger, as he led her into town, and she admired the flowers blooming along the stone path, their vibrant colored petals catching her eye. They were obviously well cared for, and she silently praised whoever had been taking such excellent care of them.

"You'll love it here, Lillian!" Rutger chirped, obviously excited by the idea of having a new resident. "It's much better than Konohana, you'll see."

Lillian nodded in reply, flashing a smile at the mayor. _The smile may not be real, but no one cares if it's a lie or not. They don't want to see the truth._

On their way to town, Rutger explained everything she could possibly need to know. From the collapsed tunnel to the cooking festivals, the bad relationship between the two towns and any other possible information the mayor could think of to tell her.

They walked in town together in silence, and Lillian looked around, awestruck. It was nothing like her previous home in the city, and that's exactly what she wanted. No noisy people crowding the streets, no polluted air... Nothing like that.

But better yet, _they_ couldn't find her here. She was safe, in this small, peaceful town of Bluebell. They couldn't find her here, she was safe. _She would never be hurt again._

In her daze, Lillian didn't notice a girl with long blonde pigtails run up to her, and point, demanding to know who she is.

"Lillian, introduce yourself. And I'm sure Ash will show you around town." Rutger told her, before excusing himself to go to town hall.

Lillian looked at the small girl, who had placed her hands on her hips, waiting impatiently for an answer. "I'm Lillian, and I'm going to be living in that farm over there." She gestured to the area where she would be living, before giving a small smile at the girl.

"I'm Cheryl." The girl giggled, placing a hand on her cheek. "Aren't I adorable?" She didn't wait for a reply, as if she already knew that everyone would say yes. "Oh, you _have_ to meet my big brother!"

Again, Cheryl did not wait before a reply before grabbing Lillian's hand and dragging her over to the house closest to where they were standing. 'Jessica's Livestock' the sign in the yard read, but Lillian didn't have any more time to study it before being pulled towards the barn behind the house.

"Brother!" Cheryl called, walking over to the fence.

A boy, around Lillian's age, popped his head out of the barn. "Yes, Cheryl..." Upon seeing a new face, he walked out of the barn and jumped over the fence -with ease, Lillian noted- and stared intensely at the stranger. Lillian felt a blush rise to her cheeks under the intensity of his gaze.

"Brother, this is Lillian!" She giggled again, before continuing. "She's gonna be living in the other farm from now on!"

Ash flashed his sister a smile, before looking back to Lillian and sticking out his hand. "It's clean, I promise." He joked, referring to the fact that he had just come out of a most likely dirty barn, and had probably been doing work.

Lillian took the offered hand, her own small, soft hand giving a firm shake to the larger, calloused hand. Ash looked almost surprised by strength she had put into the grip, before returning the firm shake wholeheartedly.

"Say, Lillian, have you seen the rest of town?"

The tawny haired girl simply shook her head. Ash offered a small smile, before his grin widened as an idea popped into his mind. "Then I'll show you around! Though I'm not much of a tour-guide..." He laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. If the boy had seen her flinch at the sudden contact, he didn't show it.

"First stop, my best friend! He's really shy, and he can be a bit of a jerk, and he's really quiet too. He told me he only talks when he has something to say on the matter, otherwise he doesn't bother. But give him time and he'll warm up to you!"

As Ash prattled on with his explanation of his best friend, Lillian struggled not to yank her hand from his. When he had grabbed her hand, she had instantly wanted to pull away, to run and hide. But she couldn't, after all, who knows what the townspeople would think of her if she did. She continued to repeat the same thing in her head as he lead her closer to the stairs by Howard's Cafe. _You're safe here, they aren't here. You don't have to be afraid. I'm safe..._

"Cam!" Ash yelled, snapping Lillian away from her thoughts. "Cam!" Ash shouted again, and Lillian looked in the direction her impromptu tour-guide was, at a boy who was standing behind the counter of what looked like a flower shop, bouquet in hand as he focused his attention on tying the lilac ribbon around the bouquet instead of on his 'best friend', clearly trying to ignore the shouting in his direction.

Ash, obviously used to this treatment, only continued to yell his friends name, and when the two finally stopped in front of the counter, only then did the boy, Cam, place down the bouquet, averting his attention from the flowers and to his friend, and the new-comer who was standing behind him, staring intently at the ground.

"Cam!" Ash chirped, excited to share the news of the new resident with his friend. "Guess what?" Without waiting for the other boy to reply, he continued. "We have a new resident!"

Cam's face had a deadpan expression on his face, and Lillian looked up from the ground to stare at Ash, wondering if he always stated the obvious like that. "No really?" Cam asked, sarcasm lacing his tone.

Lillian felt her lips turn upwards at the florist's comment, and a small chuckle escaped her lips. Both boys turned their gazes towards her, and she immediately schooled her expression, looking towards the ground once more.

"Lillian... It's okay to laugh you know." Ash told her, turning to face her. "We're all friends here, so don't worry about it."

Lillian's grayish lilac eyes widened. She had forgotten... It was normal, to laugh. Where she had come from... _Escaped_ from, it wasn't allowed. Any hint of a smile, any trace of laughter, was to be erased. She was punished for it. And here Ash was, smiling and laughing like the world was ending tomorrow, and calling her their friend. Since when had she become friend's with the two males? She wouldn't know. She had never had a... Friend before.

Looking up from the ground, she smiled at Ash, and at Cam too. Even though the boy had never said they were friends, he had never denied it either. _But that smile you just showed was fake, wasn't it? It was a lie. You're lying to him. But then again, he's lying to you too. You're not his friend, you're not anyone's friend. He was simply being polite._

The smile Lillian had been wearing faltered at her thoughts, but she quickly plastered it back on her face. Ash didn't seem to notice, but she knew from the curious glint in Cam's eyes that he had.

The blonde farmer beamed at her, before turning back to Cam. "Cam, are you gonna continue to be that rude? Introduce yourself!" He scolded in a playful manner.

"I don't see why I have to, you've been shouting my name in her ears for the last five minutes..." He grumbled, before sighing and sticking out his hand at the short girl. "As you already know..." He glared at Ash, who just grinned sheepishly in reply, "I'm Cam. I own this flower stand here, so feel free to visit and buy some flowers or seeds."

Lillian chastised herself for hesitating so long before accepting the offered hand, and shaking it with her own. "I'm Lillian, I'll be living in that other farm down the road from here." She plastered a smile on her face. Cam's hands were much larger than her own, and his grip was strong.

Looking up, she saw his green eyes staring into her own. His eyes were green, but not just any old green. They were the green of the grass that finally grew after a harsh winter, the green of the leaves in summer. The color of sweetgrass in spring, pure and sweet. His eyes were two green pools of emotion, with pain and grief, loneliness and contentment, flickers of amusement swimming in them. In that moment, she realized that she could see past the cold, sarcastic mask he had on.

And sure enough, she found a blush spreading to her cheeks as she noticed the intensity of his gaze, and the amusement in his eyes shined brightly, and a smirk spread on his lips.

Meanwhile, Cam was lost in the gray lilac eyes, trying to identify all the different emotions her gaze held. There was so much sadness and lonliness, pain filling her expressive eyes to the brim. Why were there so many negative emotions? Innocence and love were swimming in her beautiful eyes, but they seemed drowned out by the heartbreak and insecurities.

And in that moment, she realized he could see past her mask too.

A few moments passed, and they were still gripping onto each other's hands, not focused on the handshake but instead on deciphering the emotions in each other's eyes. Ash, after noticing that his two friends didn't budge after he cleared his throat, trying to regain their attention, simply sighed, a small smile on his face after seeing the interest between his best friend and his new farming rival.

"Well, Cam, guess this means that you get to finish her tour." He clapped the florist on the shoulder, but the two still didn't break eye contact.

As Ash jumped down the steps, muttering to himself about how his mother was going to lecture him for skipping out on work, Cam and Lillian seemed to realize just how long they had been staring at each other, and both averted their gazes with a blush tinting their cheeks.

* * *

Hours later, Cam had finished the complete tour of Bluebell and it's residents, and Lillian laughed when she found out that Cam was a worse tour-guide than Ash, and they were now back at Howard's Cafe.

"Sorry about that..." Cam muttered with a blush on his face as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't really talk to anyone in town much besides Ash and Howard, so I probably wasn't really helpful..."

"No, it's fine. I enjoyed it, thank you very much for showing me around. Though it's a good thing you have your flower stand, you _are_ a lousy tour-guide." Lillian's eyes twinkled with amusement, and Cam knew she was teasing him.

She seemed to have become more relaxed during these few hours they spent together, though she still wasn't being completely honest, and still had her mask on, and he knew that.

A few moments passed, and they spent it in companionable silence. Finally, Cam broke the silence, telling her that he had to go check in with Howard. As Cam moved past Lillian to walk towards the entry of the cafe, he stopped, and they were standing side by side, facing opposite directions.

And before Cam walked off again, him having only lingered for a moment, the last words he whispered to her echoed in her ears.

"Don't hide behind a fake smile like that."

The words were spoken coldly, but they sounded more... Sad than reprimanding. Almost as if he was disappointed.

* * *

She collapsed on her bed, just having finished unpacking. Thinking back to Cam's parting words, she scolded herself. Of course he knew she was faking. Was she not convincing enough? The other people in town had believed it quite easily... What made him so different? How did he know she was lying?

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, before opening her eyes and sitting up right with a jolt. She knew what she was going to do tomorrow, she was going to repair her mask, and be the Lillian people wanted her to be.

They wanted to see the happy, positive, smiling Lillian who was always willing to help out and always had a optimistic view about everything. And that's what she would give them.

They didn't want to see the real her. They didn't care about the real her. No one did. Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over. Reaching under her pillow, she pulled out a small wooden box. It was small, longer than it was wide, and she slid the lid off, as she had done a thousand times before, the old smooth wood feeling comfortable and familiar in her hand. Placing the lid on the bed, she removed the contents the box.

Between two fingers, a single piece of metal she held. It gleamed in the soft lamplight, and Lillian dropped it in her palm, savoring the feeling of the cold metal in her hand. Twirling the small blade again, she held it in her right hand. It was the tip of an old kitchen knife, about two inches long. She had had it for years... And this is what she used it for.

Pushing up her long pajama sleeve, she turned over her arm, the pale flesh that was marred with old and fresh scars alike, bruises that weren't from her hands, and she pressed the blade to her skin. Before dragging it along, a flash of Cam's eyes popped in her mind, and she briefly wondered why before she expelled the thought from her mind and dragged the blade along her skin, dark blood springing to the surface of her wound, dripping down her arm.

A sigh of release escaped her lips, and a small smile spread across her lips.

And as she made another wound and yet another, with each one her smile growing bigger, as tears raced down her cheeks, mixing with the red liquid, she couldn't help but mutter...

"My smile isn't fake now, Cam."

_To Be Continued_

**Well, that was the first chapter, I know it wasn't a very good ending, but cut me some slack for now. The next chapter will be up soon! I hope you liked it, be sure to leave a review (I wanna know if it sucked or not) love you, and I'll update soon.**


	2. Poetry Books and Late Night Chats

_**Hey guys! You wanted another chapter so here it is, I'll be updating again soon. Enjoy! Don't forget to review~**_

_**Italics: Thoughts/Emphasis **_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns**

_**Chapter Two:**_

_**Poetry Books and Late Night Chats**_

Hours had passed, the wounds had been bandaged and cleaned, and she was laying on her bed. Sleep had evaded Lillian, and she could practically feel the dark circles forming under her eyes.

Luckily, she didn't have any farm animals or crops growing yet, so she didn't have any responsibilities that she needed to take care of early in the morning, so the tawny haired girl was considering just sleeping throughout the day.

The more time passed, the more restless she grew. When it had passed midnight, she figured she might as well do something relatively productive and so she slipped out of bed, still clad in her button up pajamas. Walking over to her door, she slipped on her boots, lacing them up with her pajama pants tucked inside.

Humming a soft tune, Lillian unlocked her door, stepping out into the warm spring night. With the dirt crunching under her boots, she strolled down the path until reaching the mountain. Deciding this was more entertaining than laying in bed, she continued onward.

There was a beautiful little stream, and upon seeing it, she decided she wanted to investigate it further. With a spring in her step, Lillian made her way over to the stream, sitting down on the grass. After stripping off her boots, she dipped her feet in the water, still humming, not minding the nip of the cold water.

She watched the fishes swim with child like wonder, entranced as she watched the scales of the fish shine in the light of the waxing gibbous moon. Lillian didn't even realize she had been leaning forward to get a better view, and had been close to falling in until a voice called from behind her.

"If you keep leaning forward like that, you'll fall in."

Lillian could hear the smirk and amusement in the voice, and after almost falling in the water from surprise, she regained her balance and turned around, seeing Cam sitting beneath a tree with the predicted smirk on his face, mirth in his eyes after seeing her reaction, like he was trying to hold back laughter.

"H-have you been there this whole time?" She stuttered, surprised to see anybody in the mountain area this late at night. Then again... She was here too.

The smirk only grew. "I have."

"What're you even doing here?" She asked, taking her feet out of the water.

Eyebrows raised, he didn't answer verbally and instead lifted up the book that he was almost finished in her direction.

"What book are you reading?" She asked almost instantly, curiosity shining in her eyes.

Somehow pleased by her reaction, Cam answered. "It's a book on poetry. I've never really read all that much poetry before, so I wanted to give it a try. I like it a lot, surprisingly."

The corners of her mouth turned upwards as she examined the cover, and he doubted she even realized it.

"Can I borrow it from you sometime? If you like it, it must be good..." Lillian asked, hesitant to ask any sort of favor from someone.

Cam's peridot eyes widened, before he smiled at her. It was the first smile -not smirk- Lillian had seen grace the boy's face, and it was in that moment she realized just how good looking he was. With his light brown, almost blonde hair with the charming purple houndstooth cap on, the light purple shirt and vest, the shirt unbuttoned just enough to catch a glimpse of tantalizing collarbones, and the tie that was never on properly. And then those beautiful, captivating eyes...

Blushing at her own thoughts, she tired to focus on the words Cam was saying rather than his looks.

"I would love for you to read it, I'll bet you'll like it. Then we can talk about our favorite poems." He said, a small blush taking to his cheeks as he continued to smile at her.

For some reason, it made her... Happy? To think that she and Cam would have the chance to talk more. There were a few moments of silence, and Lillian was hoping it would stay that way, a comfortable silence after having some conversation about poetry.

Cam broke the silence after a few minutes, closing his book and placing it down on his lap. "And what are you doing here? As I recall, I was here first, so..."

"I was just out on a walk..." She muttered, hoping she didn't have to continue explaining.

"Couldn't sleep?" He inquired, genuinely curious.

Lillian nodded before she began to slip on her boots, lacing them up. It went silent again, and they were in a almost comfortable silence, but there were things that both people wanted to say, but didn't. They each realized this, but chose to ignore it. She had been almost finished tying the second boot when Cam broke the silence again, and Lillian hoped he wouldn't develop a habit of this.

"Was it because of what I said earlier? Why you couldn't sleep, I mean." He paused, as if embarrassed to be asking, before continuing. "Did you think about it?"

Lillian's eyes widened. She was hoping he would forget about it, like everyone else did when they caught glimpses of the real Lillian, the Lillian behind the mask. But Cam seemed determined not to forget.

She tried to play it innocent, like she had no idea what he was talking about. "Yeah, I gave it some thought. I don't know what you could possibly mean by that though... All my smiles are real." She flashed him a large grin as if trying to prove her point, and maybe she was.

Cam wasn't buying it. He narrowed his eyes into what could have been a glare, but wasn't quite. "You know exactly what I mean, don't play dumb." His tone was edging on being cold and he sounded irritated. "We both know I saw you falter earlier, I can tell you're lying. Real smiles aren't forced like that. I'm not an idiot."

Lillian was fiddling with her hands, not brave enough to look Cam in the eyes again. For someone who was supposed to be shy and quiet like Ash described him, he certainly was talking about. Then again, she remembered that Ash also said Cam told him he only talks when he has something to say.

"I'm not forcing anything..." She tried feebly, her voice a whisper, already knowing that it was pointless, already knowing that he had seen past her mask. And she could already feel the tears prick her eyes.

"Look..." Cam sighed, a defeated tone in his voice. "I'm not gonna say anything to anyone... I'm just saying..." He paused, a blush rushing to his cheeks, and was thankful that it was dark out so she couldn't see. "Around me, don't pretend, alright? I'd rather have you not smiling but being truthful than smiling and lying."

After hearing those words, the tears started to cascade down her cheeks, and she was thankful that her back was facing him since she had decided to lace her boots. _He must be lying, he doesn't want the real me. He doesn't want to see the real me. He just wants a mask, a better, stronger mask that he can't see through. He's lying._

Standing up abruptly, she didn't bother to finish lacing her boot. Walking quickly, her arms swinging back and forth with each step, she tried to make the tears stop before Cam saw them. _He'll laugh at you if he sees. He'll think you're pathetic, crying like a little baby. How pitiful you are, Lillian_. Only this time, she didn't know if she was crying from happiness from his words, or from sadness when she realized that they were all just lies.

Lillian was so concentrated on trying to stop crying, she didn't even realize Cam had been chasing after her until she felt a strong hand wrap around her left wrist. _The bandaged one._ She cried out, pained and surprised. She tried to free herself from his grasp, but to no avail. He wasn't planning on letting her escape until he was done telling her what he needed to say.

Tears welled up in her eyes once again, part from panic over the fact that he could find out her secret, and part from pain. The florist was stronger than he looked, and her wrist hadn't healed yet. _The wounds will reopen. He'll find out, he'll think you're a psychotic freak who belongs in a mental ward. He'll hate you._

"Lillian! Don't run away, listen to me. I'm trying to tell you that..."

She turned her head to face him, her expression like that of a wounded animal. Tears raced down her cheeks, and when Cam noticed them he stopped speaking, wondering what he had done. He instantly released her wrist, pondering if he had scared her by the sudden movement or if he had said something to make her upset.

"I- uh- Lillian..." He saw the terrified look on her face, and it felt like he had been punched.

And after seeing the look on his face, the guilt and remorse that expressed so clearly on his face, she wanted to run away and hide. She never wanted him to see her again, he never wanted to make him make that face again, the look that made him seem so much older, so much more... Pained.

She felt something warm on her arm, and looked down to see the blood seeping through the pajama shirt. Panicking, she turned and ran, not wanting to see the most likely pained expression on his face when she ran from him.

After he could no longer see her retreating form, he walked back to the tree he had previously been sitting under to pick up the book he had carelessly abandoned.

"I'm trying to tell you that I want to see the real Lillian... I don't want you to feel like you have to lie to me. I want the real you." He whispered to no one in particular, seeing as he was once again alone on the mountain.

It was only when he went to reach for his book that Cam realized that his hand was... Wet? Holding his hand up so the moon illuminated it, he noticed the red coloring to it. The thick, warm substance coated his hand.

It was when the coppery scent hit his nose that he fully realized what it was. He ran down the mountain path, only stopping when he was panting in front of the sign that pointed to Lillian's farm.

He had fully intended to march down that old beaten path that led to Lillian's new home, when a image of her terrified face flooded his mind. His steps slowed to a stop, and he realized he couldn't do it. He had already put her through a lot tonight, and it was her first night here.

More guilt consumed him, and he felt extremely guilty and remorseful for putting her through that in one night. But as he turned to head back to the cafe, he knew that this was a question that required an answer to. And he was going to find out.

Even if she hated him for it.

In that moment, he realized that he might end up making her hate him, with all the questions and accusations, but he also knew that as the only person who had see the real her, the Lillian behind the mask, he needed to do this... Because in some strange way he truly cared about her.

* * *

Lillian made it home, her tears still flowing. She didn't want to hurt him, and she knew from that expression he had showed her earlier that she had hurt him.

She was just causing trouble for everyone around her again. Lillian felt bad for Cam. Maybe he really only had been trying to be nice, but it didn't matter, the kind words he had said to her were still lies.

And in that moment, she realized that Cam had no reason to be friendly towards her. He had no reason to smile at her like he did, he had no reason to lie to her to make her feel better. He had no reason to loan her the poetry book. He had no reason to chase after her when she went to run away.

It's not like they were friends or anything.

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the window, and Lillian almost considered getting out of bed before she remembered last nights events with Cam, and then she instead chose to stuff her head under the pillow, hoping the sunlight wouldn't bother her too much.

After she ran away from the Cam yesterday, she had went home and re-bandaged her wounds before swiftly crawling into bed and crying till she couldn't anymore and then promptly falling to sleep, the days events finally catching up with her petite body, and she was extremely tired.

An image of Cam's pained face filled her mind, and she was unable to get rid of it. That look in his eyes... It made her feel terrible. She never wanted to make him feel that way again, ever.

Pulling up her sleeve, -that she had thoroughly washed so no blood remained stained in the fabric- she unwrapped the gauze bandage. She knew that she had to replace the bandages often to keep it from becoming infected, and if she was going to do her farm work today she had to be sure she was safe.

After all, if it did get infected, it's not like she could just go to Konohana's clinic to have it examined.

Her injuries exposed, Lillian examined the damage she had done. There were multiple deep cuts across her arm on both the front in back, they were still puffy and irritated from the tight bandaging that had been wrapped around the limb. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to be disgusted by the injuries, even though they were in fact repulsive to look at. But in a strange way, she found comfort in looking at the wounds. In that moment, she found what she had done..

Simply beautiful.

* * *

Cam fell out of bed, literally. His head made contact with the wooden floor, and he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and he would have cried out if he wasn't already used to it. But, he was, seeing as this is how he got up everyday.

Ah yes, the florist was most definitely not a morning person.

And with it being Friday, his day off, he had fully intended to sleep past noon and then indulge himself on some of Howard's pancakes. But he knew he couldn't do that today, recalling the occurrences of yesterday. And he had already decided to secretly visit Lillian to give her the poetry book and to apologize... Maybe do a little investigation on her wound.

Looking down at his hands that rested in his lap, he saw his right hand still a faint red color, from what he couldn't scrub off his pale skin yesterday. Seeing her blood on his hand... It was horrifying. It scared him, and he wasn't one to be afraid like this. Just what happened to her that made her bleed so much?

When he had gotten home last night, he stayed awake for hours, just staring out the window, trying to consider what the blood could have been from. He had never seen the actual wound, for she had fled before he could, so he didn't know if it was perhaps a small wound that just bled excessively.

He had briefly considered the thought, but the way she cried out when he had grabbed her wrist suggested otherwise. Fleetingly, he considered that maybe she had done it herself, before expelling the thought completely, shaming himself for thinking such a thing like that.

That was a horrible thing to accuse someone of doing, and he had no evidence of it.

He didn't consider it again.

_To Be Continued_

**Review please! I'll update soon! **


	3. Rainy Afternoons and Unexpected Visits

**Hello! Welcome to chapter three of In That Moment, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for your reviews, I hope you continue to give me feedback!**

**_Italics- Thoughts/Emphasis_**

**_Disclaimer: I do no own Harvest Moon Tale of Two Towns_**

**_Chapter Three_:**

**Rainy Afternoons and Unexpected Visits**

Lillian walked over to the sink, clutching her dishes after just having finished listening to the weather forecast on the radio. It would be rainy all day today, as she could tell by looking out the window. Rain pelted heavily at the window, and for some reason is was calming to her, like a lullaby. It echoed in her ears, drowning out any other possible noises besides the radio. The radio said tomorrow it would rain in the evening but be sunny in the afternoon and morning.

Lillian had made herself a turnip salad as an early lunch, and was now washing out her bowl, scrubbing it in the sink. Her sleeves were rolled up, her bandages removed in fear of getting them wet. Soap suds floated around her, and she hummed the same tune she had sung the night before under her breath.

The soap stung when it touched her cuts, she winced once, but continued about washing her dishes, paying it no mind. A little soap wouldn't hurt her, and the stinging sensation was almost enjoyable.

Minutes passed by quickly, and soon she had put her dishes away, and threw herself on her bed, the pillow in her face. Lillian was tired, but not enough to sleep. More like she was just emotionally exhausted, she couldn't get what happened with Cam last night out of her mind, and she was dying to know if he had found out her secret or not. Surely, if he had, he would have either told someone or talked to her already... Maybe he was just avoiding her, thinking she was a freak?

Sighing, she walked over to her bed, sitting down on the clean sheets and glancing out the window. The gray clouds in the sky made it seem darker out, though it was only early afternoon, and it was still raining heavily, the rain making a pitter-patter sound on the roof.

She leaned against the headboard of her bed, thoughts consumed by the florist, and what he must think of her. She ran away. _He must think you're a coward_. She flinched at his touch. _He must think you hate him_. She cried in front of him. _He must think you're pitiful, pathetic._ She lied to him. _And he already knows you're a huge liar. Really, could it get any worse?_

Lillian sighed again as her eyes started to burn. Cam must have an awful opinion of her by now. He must be disgusted, he probably doesn't even want to look at her. He must be repulsed.

A part of her told her that it wasn't fair to speak for him like that, that she didn't know how he felt or what he thought about her or anything like that, but she disregarded it.

And in that moment, it dawned on her that she cared about what Cam thought of her. She shouldn't, she really shouldn't. It would only cause her more heartbreak... But she couldn't help it. She wanted the green-eyed boy to praise her, to encourage her. To smile at her like he did last night.

But he wouldn't smile at her like that ever again after what had happened.

It was that last thought that drove her over the edge, and she made a hasty grab for the wooden box under her pillow. For some reason, the thought of Cam never giving her that smile again, the notion that he would never look at her that way again... It was unbearable. Maybe it was because, even if only for a few hours, she had considered him her friend.

That had to be it.

She scolded herself for being so stupid. She didn't have any friends. She never did, and she never would. People like her didn't have friends. Sliding off the lid, she didn't bother to savor the feeling of cold metal in her hand like she usually did. Facing the wall, Lillian gently held blade over her already marred wrist, the wounds from yesterday still not healed. She was in such pain, and she didn't understand.

She made a cut for the pain, a cut for the memories. Another for yesterday, and one for the day before. She made another for the day her personal hell started, and another for the day she ran away. One after another she made more, after promising herself _just one more. _She should've known that she could never stop that just one more. Thunder sounded, and she couldn't hear anything around her. Not the rain, not the radio, not even her own sobs.

Her tears had stopped and Lillian was hesitating, holding the blade but trying to stop herself from continuing. If she continued like this, it could become dangerous, and then she might not have enough self-control to stop herself. The thoughts scared her, to think that she might just be unable to stop. What she was doing... It was so addicting, it made her feel so... Good.

The blade was sitting in her palm, her new wounds still uncovered and bleeding. Deciding this was enough for a while, she reached with uncovered arms to grab the box and put away her favorite thing.

And then, the door flew open with a thud, revealing a very wet boy, with piercing green eyes that were swirling with emotions of worry and panic. The boy was clutching a bouquet of different colored wild flowers, a lilac ribbon tying them together, and a blue covered poetry book. A distressed expression was on his face, and he looked... Afraid?

Lillian scrambled around immediately after hearing her door open, cursing herself for not locking it, and thanking the Harvest Goddess herself that she had been sitting facing the wall, with her back to the door. Yanking down her left sleeve, the blade pressed into the palm of her right hand. She turned practically jumped off her bed to greet the intruder.

"Why didn't you answer? I was knocking on your door for five minutes." The intruder in question asked, his hand over his heart, like he was trying to calm it down. He was panting, as if he had just run a marathon across the mountain.

"I... Uh, didn't hear you." Lillian said with a smile, trying to cover up the fact she had been crying minutes before. The words she said were true, she hadn't heard him, and she hoped he would just accept her excuse without arguing with her. "But Cam, what _are_ you doing here?"

Lillian examined her floor, too afraid to look at the boy. She heard a thud, and brought her eyes up to look where Cam had been standing. The boy in question was sitting on the floor, bouquet and book abandoned carelessly next to him as he sat with his hand on his face and his knees to his chest.

Instead of answering, Cam just continued whispering, and Lillian wasn't sure if he was talking to himself, or her, but she listened anyway.

"You gave me a heart attack, you know." He sighed, and there was a hint of relief in his voice. "I was so worried about you, when you didn't answer the door."

Lillian assumed that the florist hadn't seen any of her previous actions, and she thanked the Harvest Goddess again for that before responding.

"I...I'm sorry Cam." Lillian knew she probably sounded like she was trying not to cry, and that's exactly what she was doing. Her eyes were burning, and she didn't know why.

For some reason, she felt this immense... Joy? Is that what it would be called? When Cam told her that he was worried about her. It made her heart swell, and a blush go to her cheeks.

After hearing Lillian's tone, Cam's head snapped up. He stood up, sighing. "Look, uh..." He trailed off, a blush on his cheeks.

Lillian just stared as he sighed again, before walking towards her, a look of determination and something else she couldn't identify in his eyes. Before she could react, he pulled he close, wrapping his arms around her gently as her head pressed against his toned chest.

She gasped, but she couldn't find it in her to break away from him. His shirt was wet and cold, and he himself was soaking with rain, but she couldn't find it in herself to be bothered by this.

Usually she would be scared if someone held her like this, it would remind her too much of _them_. She briefly panicked about the possibility of the blood seeping through the fabric of her sleeve and the blade still clutched in her palm tightly, digging into her skin. But Cam's arms were so warm and secure, she couldn't bring herself to think about things like that, and she could hear his heart beating frantically in his chest, and knew her own heart was the same.

Lillian inhaled, smelling flowers and sweet spices from the cafe. And it was so simply... Cam. It smelled better than any flower to her, and she found herself inhaling again, savoring the scent. It comforted her, it made her feel safe.

Cam was beet red, and he struggled to gain control of his words. "I wanted to apologize..." He began, tightening his hold on her. It was almost as if he was trying to stop her from running away. "For yesterday. I'm really sorry, Lillian." He murmured, his blush getting deeper.

They stood there for a minute, Lillian still held tightly in his arms. Silence filled the room, and Lillian was just enjoying listening to Cam's steady heartbeat.

Moments passed like that, neither of them moving. Neither of them saying a single word. And then he whispered another apology, and Lillian shook her head before pushing herself away from his chest.

"There's nothing to be sorry for!" She said, beaming. _Lie to him. Protect yourself. Don't let him see how pathetic you are._

Frowning, Cam studied her expression. "That reminds me, how's your arm?"

"My arm?" Lillian asked, the smile immediately falling from her face. "What about my arm?" _Please don't let him know. He can't know..._

"Well, it was bleeding yesterday, right?" He asked, watching her nervousness grow. "I thought you might've hurt it while you were going home last night." He couldn't bring himself to say_ 'while you were trying to run away from me'._

Lillian, panicking, started laughing to cover up her nervousness. It was obviously fake, painfully so. "Oh, don't worry about that! I hit it while I was farming earlier, and I guess it must have re-opened the wound when I hit it on a rock in the river."

"Can I see it?" He asked, innocently. "I have minor first-aid training from Laney, so I can make sure it's not infected."

Lillian's heart practically stopped in her chest. He wanted to check? He wanted to see? Didn't he know? Her hands curled into fists, the razor in her palm digging deeper into her flesh.

"No." Her voice was cold, matching her expression. She realized her mask had slipped, she had let her true feelings show, and tried to fix it. "I mean, it's perfectly fine."

"Then why won't you show me?" Cam asked immediately, seeing her cold exterior. He wouldn't let her get away without telling him the truth. _He needed to know. He needed to prove that his previous thoughts were wrong. _This was the first time in his life he can ever recall not wanting to be right.

"What?" Lillian squeaked, not expecting him to counter her lies like that. She needed to keep up her walls, her defense. She needed to continue to lie to him. So she figured she would do what she usually did in situations like this.

Play dumb.

"I don't know what you mean..." Lillian said with a forced ditsy smile on her face.

The florist sighed, not buying into it. "You know what I mean, don't act like you're stupid. I know you know what I'm talking about, and the more you avoid it, the more suspicious I'll get." He hated talking this much, but it seemed to be necessary in this case.

The farmer just continued to stand there, hands behind her back with a grin still spread across her lips. Cam's large hand went towards her, reaching for her arm. She flinched as Cam's hand came closer to her. _Was he going to hit her? She was afraid... So afraid. _She didn't want him to be like _them_ too.

But Cam didn't hit her, and he hadn't even thought of doing as such. But upon seeing her reaction, his hand dropped back to his side, and he stood there, helpless. _Why did she flinch away like that? Why did she look so afraid?_ Lillian looked up at him, their height difference showing, and her big lilac-gray eyes shining with tears. _How come seeing that pained and scared reaction on her face hurt him so much? _

"I, uh..." Cam stuttered, his shyness returning. "Um, well..." He walked towards the door, bending down to pick up the book that had long since been abandoned on the floor. He set it down on the table gently, his pale hand brushing against the cover gently.

With his hand on the doorknob, he opened the door, not even noticing the harsh rain that was already soaking him. And as he stepped out the door, he heard one last whispered phrase.

"Just please... Forget about it. Forget anything ever happened." Cam could hear the pained smile in her voice, and he wondered if the tears had finally escaped from her eyes. He didn't look back to find out.

In that moment, as he walked home while being pelted with cold rain that afternoon, he swore to himself that he would never forget about it.

And he swore he'd never let her forget it either.

_To Be Continued _

**Hope you enjoyed that chapter! I'll update soon, so don't forget to review!**


	4. Bedhead and Meddling Best Friends

**Andddd here I am again, with chapter four! I hope you enjoy, so don't forget to** **read and review!**

_**Luna Eclipse: Alright alright, here you go. And just so you know, my dear friend, most of my stories go in that format for FMA. They're all just kinda sad with Ed all sad and stuff, and I hate them all. But I love you for all the reviews! I smiled at every one, so thank you for making my day! Hurry and make an account! **_

**Note: **To the reviewer who PMed me, I can't say for certain how people feel when they cut, but I can say that one, this is partly based off of my experiences and feelings when I do, and two, it is just a story, after all. Thank you for the question

_Italics- Thoughts/Emphasis _

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon Tale of Two Towns **

**Chapter Four:**

** Bedhead and Meddling Best Friends**

After Cam had left, Lillian collapsed on her hardwood floor, tears coursing down her cheeks. It wasn't Cam's fault she was crying, not at all. It was her own fault. She was cursing herself for having these unwarranted and unwanted feelings. She didn't want her heart to beat quicker every time he stepped into the room, she didn't want her cheeks to redden when she thought of his smile or his voice.

She didn't want any of this.

The blade was still pressed into the skin of her palm, but Lillian couldn't find it within herself to do anything to herself with it at the moment, it just didn't seem right, after seeing and talking to the green-eyed boy like that.

Instead, she placed the blade on the table and picked up the hardcover poetry book instead. Cam had remembered, and he had left it here just for her. Lillian ran her pale hands over the spine of the book, before flipping it open. Random pages were dog-eared, bookmarking them, and she decided to start with those first.

Straightening up, she was about to lay back on her bed before she remembered something else. Walking over to the door, she picked up the discarded bouquet. It was a lovely, lively Colorful Bouquet, and smelled even more delightful than it looked. Instead of putting it in the vase in the corner of her room near the bookshelf like she had considered doing, she simply walked back over to her bed.

Lillian fell back onto her bed, her head hitting the pillow with a soft thump. The bouquet was laying on the pillow next to her head, and the poetry book was opened to one of the randomly bookmarked pages. Lillian figured that the dog-eared ones were Cam's favorites, or the ones he had wanted her to read, so she started with those.

And for some reason, each poem she read to herself she imagined the florist reading it to her. Maybe it was the flowers next to her head, or the book that did in fact belong to him, but for the rest of the afternoon and evening, as she continued to read long after the rain had stopped, Cam didn't leave her thoughts once.

No matter how many poems she read trying to get him away from her thoughts.

* * *

A week had almost passed since she'd seen Cam that rainy afternoon. Lillian was refusing to leave her house unless it was an absolute necessity, or it was to take care of the animals or her crops.

Days ago, Jessica and Rutger had stopped by, wondering why they hadn't seen her in town and to drop off a chicken and cow. She had thanked them for the animals, putting up the mask she had worked so hard to perfect and she smiled brightly at them, before telling them she had gotten sick while trying to go hand fishing in the rain the other day. If the two thought her excuse was odd, they didn't say anything, instead returning her smile and telling her how to take proper care of the animals.

Lillian thanked them again, the smile still fixed on her face, and waved to them as they walked away.

As soon as they were out of her line of sight, she dropped her smile, and her hand back at her side, sighing to herself as she made her way back inside her small and bare house, glad that those two had left, glad to be alone again. She was used to being alone. Lillian scolded herself when she found herself longing that a certain green eyed, flower loving, poetry reading boy would show up to take their place.

She forced herself not to yearn for his company, and begged herself not to find comfort in his strangely familiar smile. Not to find solace in his soft spoken words.

Lillian didn't want to find solace in lies.

She tried to bargain with herself, tried to convince herself that he was just lying to her, that he didn't mean anything he had said. They weren't friends, and he didn't want to be friends.

But she still couldn't shake the feeling that this time, it was her lying to herself.

* * *

Cam was at odds with himself. He just didn't know what to think anymore. It had been a week, if not more longer, since he'd last seen Lillian. A week since he'd seen her rosy cheeks, her beautiful eyes. A week since he had hugged her.

And it was driving him insane.

He didn't _want_ to like her, not even as a friend, let alone anything more. And yet, that's what happened. He liked her. Cam wasn't sure if it was just as a friend, or as something more, but judging by the remarks his 'dear best friend' gave him, it was as more than friends.

But there was no way in hell she liked him like that too.

He absentmindedly wrapped a yellow ribbon around a bouquet, too lost in his thoughts to even realize that his best friend was standing in front of him, waving his hands in front of his face frantically.

"Cam!" Ash yelled, but received no reply from the other teen. "Cam! CAM!"

Finally noticing the young farmer standing in front of him, Cam placed the bouquet down before turning his full attention to his friend.

"What is it?" Cam asked, clearly not too pleased about being yelled at.

Ash merely grinned at him, before his face went somber. "Cam... None of us have seen Lillian in a while. My mom saw her a few days ago to give her some livestock, and she said that Lillian was really happy. But Lillian told her that she had just gotten sick while hand-fishing in the rain, and that's why we haven't seen her..."

Cam snipped a thorn of the rose he was caring for, his hand curling into a fist. "So? Then she's fine, isn't she? If she says she's fine, she's fine."

"Well, I suppose you're right." Ash replied, a hand on his chin in a thinking gesture. "Maybe we should go visit her later, to make sure she's all healthy." Ash beamed at him, and Cam simply nodded in reply.

In all honesty, he was just looking for an excuse to see Lillian again. Cam didn't know why, but he was worried about her for some unknown reason. She seemed so... Frightened and worried last time he saw her. A blush rose to his cheeks when he thought about how he hugged her, and he cursed himself for acting so rashly and uncharacteristically.

But nonetheless, when the clock struck eleven in the morning, Ash returned again, demanding that he go to Lillian's farm with him right then, and of course per usual, Cam tried to argue that he was working and to come back later, to which Ash countered back that he never had customers anyway.

As he shut down his stand, putting the flowers away, he grumbled about how Ash was right. He would never make it as a florist in this small town. Sighing, he walked out from behind the counter the two boys headed off to see their newest resident.

* * *

Now, Lillian was a pretty girl, but when she opened the door, bedhead in every direction besides down, wearing her old and baggy pajamas, one hand rubbing at her bleary eye, you never would have known.

"Hiya there, Lillian!" Ash said, a bright smile on his face. "We-" he pointed to his self proclaimed best friend and himself "-wanted to check up on you and make sure you were feeling okay... We haven't seen you around lately, and Cam here..." He slapped one hand on Cam's shoulder, a mischievous grin spreading across his lips. "Was so worried about you, really, he was a mess with worry. I'm convinced that he's in lov-"

And then Cam promptly shoved his elbow into his best friend's side.

Lillian blinked owlishly, registering the farmer's words with a sleep muddled brain.

With a groan -cause damn the florist was stronger than he looked- Ash managed to shoot a weak glare in Cam's direction, only to be met with an icy cold green-eyed glare. Ah, so he hadn't confessed his obvious feelings towards Lillian yet. Interesting...

And in that moment, Ash swore he would get those two together.

The farmer knew they would be perfect for each other, somehow. And Cam had never even showed remote interest in girls -to the point where Ash had wondered if he was gay like Cheryl said he was- but now he was, so that alone was enough reason for them to get married on the spot. And from the blush coating Lillian's cheeks when her eyes met with Cam's, she wouldn't be too opposed to the idea.

The mischievous grin grew wider. "So Lillian, you wouldn't mind if we came in, right? I'll help make breakfast if you excuse the intrusion." He paused, before resting a hand on his chin, thinking. "Though I'm not much of a cook..."

Lillian just nodded, too tired to think about everything seeing as she had just woken up, before excusing herself to go change.

"What the hell was that?" Cam asked, as soon as the door closed, glaring at the other boy.

"What was what?" Ash playing innocent, a sheepish grin on his face.

Cam sighed, a bit of a blush taking to his cheeks as he looked downward at the flowers growing next to Lillian's house. He really didn't want to pursue or acknowledge the topic, though he wanted to know. But mentioning it, or repeating the words Ash had told Lillian would be far more embarrassing.

They stood in silence, Cam trying to control his raging blush and Ash thinking up a devious plan to get his two stubborn friends together. And as Lillian opened the door, now dressed in her usual Bluebell attire, a lightbulb flashed over Ash's head.

Oh yes, Ash would get them together.

And he knew just how to do that.

_To Be Continued_

**Review please!**

**And I swear I'll explain the reason she's cutting herself soon, I wanted to do it this chapter, but it just wasn't the right moment... But I'll do it within the next two or three chapters!**


End file.
